Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Harry Potter and am not making any
profit off this story. I'm just messing around with a few characters ^_^
Summary: Usagi has left Japan and the Sailor Senshi to a world of magic at Hogwarts. Can Harry and his friends show Usagi what true friendship is? Does Hogwarts spell the end of her troubled life?
Rating: PG
Setting: The beginning is in Japan, and then London, but most of the story will be at Hogwarts. Usagi is sixteen. Harry and his crew will be in their sixth year.
AN: I'm in awe at how many people have responded to the first two chapters of this story!! You guys are awesome! Thanks for the wonderful reviews. I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long. I've got several excuses, but you probably don't want to hear them all. In honor of my birthday and the release of the 5th HP book.which was wonderful and you all need to read it.I've written another, longer, chapter. I know it's incredibly late, but please read and review it anyways. I have decided to make this Harry's 6th year instead of the 7th and it will include things written in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, so make sure that you have read that book before you read my story. This chapter doesn't give anything away, but in the future, it will. Thanks for being patient! I just got some inspiration, so you should have another chapter pretty soon! I apologize for spelling/grammatical errors. I wanted to get this out quickly, so I didn't proofread it as I should have.
A Ripple In Time
By: BrittbeeLynn
Chapter 3: Preparation
Usagi walked quietly towards the corner so that she could hail a cab. She was beat from her excursion and wanted nothing more than to take a nice, long soak in the tub. Once she finally caught one's attention, she climbed in and asked him to take her to Eight Pivit Drive. She arrived quickly and paid the driver. Climbing the steps of the front porch, Usagi contemplated her day and all of the new information she had discovered about wizards. They seemed to be very secretive, not wanting any non-wizards to find out about them. She wondered why wizards didn't just live with humans and how many wizards were living. Thinking to herself, she figured that there couldn't be too many wizards in the world or more humans would know about them. However, she had seen many wizards in Diagon Alley and that was definitely not the only place that wizards resided. Usagi decided that she would work hard to find the answers to her questions soon, but now all she wanted was some dinner and a pillow.
~*~*~
Usagi had been living with her aunt for about a week and was bored out of her mind. She had wanted to live a normal life, but this was too normal for her. Her daily routine consisted of waking up, eating breakfast, working on her English with her aunt, watching TV or researching wizards while her aunt was at work, eating lunch alone, and cooking dinner for her aunt before going to bed. There was simply nothing to do in this small, boring place. She had hoped that she would see other kids her age outside, but it seemed that there was no one under the age of thirty that lived in this neighborhood. Usagi had taken walks in hopes of finding someone to talk to, but the few people that she had seen were often rude or pointedly ignored her.
Usagi had hoped that by now she would have heard something from Hogwarts, but nothing had happened. She was wondering how reliable owls were and if her letter had really ever reached the man named Dumbledore. She worried that maybe she didn't have enough or the right kind of magic to be accepted into the school. Or, the thought to herself, I could just be too old to be admitted into the school.
Thinking along these lines, Usagi barely heard a light tapping on her bedroom window. She was supposed to be filling out her Intermediate Guide to English workbook, but her mind had wondered off. Glancing up, she noticed a small black owl outside her window, looking at her with its large brown eyes. It seemed to be trying to communicate with her and if she understood correctly, it was saying, "Stop gawking and open this window, stupid girl!"
Jumping up from her desk, Usagi's chair fell backwards and hit the floor. She bent down quickly, picking the chair up and turning it upright before walking to the window and struggling with the lock to get the window open. Her aunt's house was very old and she figured that this window hadn't been opened in at least ten years. At last, she managed to open the lock and began pushing the window upwards. It squeaked as it rose slowly and with a great deal of effort, Usagi finally managed to open the window enough for the owl to duck into the house.
The small owl hooted and stood very still on Usagi's desk. Looking at the bird, she noticed a small letter attached to its leg. She quickly untied the letter and looked at the address. It stated "Miss Usagi Tsukino, 8 Pivit Drive, Upstairs Bedroom with Pink Curtains". Grinning, Usagi turned the letter over, admiring the deep red seal with a capital h. She broke the seal and opened the letter. Scanning it quickly, her grin grew into a full-fledged smile. She was in. The letter told her that she had been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Included was a list of the many supplies that she would need. This letter was clearly a form letter that was probably sent to every new student at Hogwarts, however a third sheet of paper was included which contained the information she was really looking for. It stated that Hogwarts was a magical school comprised of seven different years of students. Most students began in year one at the age of eleven and worked their way up. Since was sixteen, she would definitely not fit in with a bunch of eleven-year-olds. The letter told her that she would be placed in her 6th year along with everyone else her age at first. If she was a fast learner and was able to pull off decent grades, she would stay in her age group. If she had trouble with the classes, she would be put into an age group of her own skill level. The letter explained that the school did not usually allow children over the age of eleven to begin attending, however, since she had such unusual circumstances, they would permit her attendance.
Usagi placed the letter on her desk and sat down. How did they know about my "circumstances"? she thought. Looking at the little clock on her bedroom wall, she realized that if she hurried, she could probably make another trip to Diagon Alley and buy some of her supplies.
She grabbed her wand, Hogwarts letter, and her purse that contained the rest of the wizard money that she had traded in and some more muggle money, just in case she ran out while purchasing her school supplies. Quickly, she hurried down the stairs and found her aunt. She was taking a nap in her downstairs bedroom. "I'm going to go school supplies shopping, Aunt Margaret," she explained quietly.
"Do you need any extra money? Your parents have sent plenty," her aunt offered.
"Actually, I could use a little extra. I have to buy a lot of stuff. I applied to this special school and was just informed that I was accepted. They have quite a list of supplies." Getting up from her bed, Aunt Margaret limped over to her dresser and pulled out her purse. She found an envelope inside and pulled out a great wad of money. Handing it to Usagi, she said, "This money is for your school supplies then. You'll need to tell me how much tuition is and if you need any extra money so I can write to your parents to send it."
"Thank you!" Usagi replied. She wouldn't have to dip into her savings to buy her supplies now. She had gotten a job her sophomore and junior years in high school and had saved up quite a bit of money working part time in the winters and full time during the summers. Taking the money, she walked out of the house and began her journey to Diagon Alley. It was almost 12 o'clock and Usagi's stomach was telling her that it was time for lunch. She had walked to Diagon Alley this time, instead of taking a cab and had just sworn to herself that she would never do it again. It was a long walk, and half of the time she was walking uphill. Just before she reached the place where she would enter Diagon Alley, she stopped by a little cafe and ordered some lunch. After eating, she paid for her meal and walked into the small shop that she knew led to her destination. Walking past several wizards, she went to the back of the shop and found the wall. She hoped that she would be able to remember which stones to tap with her wand.
After trying a few combinations, Usagi was growing frustrated. It seemed that she didn't remember which ones she had to tap to open the wall. She was about to give up out of frustration when a wizard walked up to the wall beside her.
"Are ya 'aving some trouble miss?" he asked in a heavy accent. Usagi nodded and the gigantic wizard proceeded to tap the correct stones that caused the doorway to open up.
"Thank you, sir!" she said enthusiastically.
"The name's 'agrid," he replied, extending his hand to her. She shook his huge hand and thanked him again before walking into Diagon Alley.
Today, the Alley was packed. There were tons of wizard families of all ages, walking down the streets and entering the different shops. There were families that were obviously muggles walking down the streets with children that she guessed had turned out to be witches or wizards. Smiling, she headed over to a shop that obviously sold robes. Glancing at her list, she realized that she needed several black robes. She walked up to the counter where a kindly looking older woman stood.
"What can I help you with, young lady?" she asked.
"I'll be attending Hogwarts this year and need some robes to wear," she replied.
Smiling, the woman snapped to work. She withdrew her wand and pointed at her measuring tape. The measuring tape flew over to Usagi and began taking her measurements. The woman picked up a small notepad and wrote down the measurements that were taken. Once she had gathered all of the necessary figures, the woman told Usagi that it would take about an hour for her to gather the robes and alter them to fit her. Usagi thanked the woman and walked out of the shop to continue looking for her school supplies. On her way out, she bumped into a guy that looked to be about her age.
"Excuse me," she said politely. The brown-headed boy nodded and smiled at her as he continued into the store. As he nodded, she had noticed a lightening shaped line on his forehead. Strange, she thought to herself and continued on.
Next, Usagi found a store that was definitely a bookstore. Since she needed quite a few books, she walked into the store and found it very crowded. A store clerk approached her and asked her what she needed.
"I will be attending Hogwarts this fall and need these books," she told him, handing him the list of books that she needed. The man quickly led her around to the various books that she needed. Every time he found one, he placed it into her arms. Quite soon, she had quite a stack of books. The man handed her the last book on her list and then gave her the list. She didn't have any hands left to take the list and she told him to place it into her purse. He quickly stuffed it into her purse and went off to help some other witch or wizard. Walking carefully, Usagi made her way over to the cash register. This was no time for a klutz attack, but sure enough, a book happened to be right in her path. Her foot hit the book and she stumbled, trying to balance the many thick books that she was carrying, she barely managed to remain standing. Her books, however, were not quite as lucky as they ended up in a heap on the ground. Bending over to pick them up, a redheaded wizard next to her bent down to help her.
"Sorry," he said, "That was my book you tripped over."
"That's ok," she replied smiling. She stood up and the boy helped carry half her books to the front desk. "Thanks!" she told him.
"No problem! Are you going to be at Hogwarts this year," he asked looking over her books.
"Yes, I'm going to be in 6th year! I'm really excited about it."
"I'm in 6th year too. I've never seen you there," he replied confused. He didn't think that you could transfer to Hogwarts like that.
"Well, I asked to be admitted and they told me I could."
"My name's Ron Weasly," he replied smiling.
"Usagi Tsukino. I'm from Japan."
"Wow! That's really cool!"
"Well, I'll be seeing you at school, then, Ron. Thanks for your help!" she told him, carrying her huge bag of books with her towards the door. She waved goodbye again and walked out. Placing her books down beside her, Usagi pulled out her list again. Next she would purchase her potions supplies. She walked into a small shop and quickly made her purchase. The shop was full of caldrons and potions that bubbled and emitted sparks. The place gave her the creeps because there was very little lighting and every once and a while a potion would pop very loudly, causing her to jump.
Quickly exiting the shop, Usagi walked over to a broomstick shop. Wow, she thought. She would love to be able to fly one of these things. She walked over to a broom in the corner and ran her hand down the shiny wooden handle. A salesman walked up to her.
"That's a Starbolt 100. It's good for younger witches and wizards. Come right over her and I'll show you some of the more advanced broomsticks. What position do you play in Quidditch?" he asked amiably.
"Ummm...what's Quidditch?" she asked tentatively.
"Oh, you're new here. Going to Hogwarts this year? You look a little older than eleven! Here we are," he said motioning to a display of very impressive brooms.
"I'm sixteen, but I'm going to Hogwarts for my first year," she replied to his ramblings. "Which broom do you recommend?"
"Well, my favorite, as well as anyone's favorite is the Firebolt. It's very expensive, though. You'll probably want to buy something a little less costly."
"Which one is the Firebolt?" she asked curious.
He led her over to the front display where she saw the most amazing and by far the coolest broom in the store. Looking at the price, her eyes widened. That was quite a lot. "Um, I'll just have a look around by myself," she told the clerk who was hovering next to her.
Usagi wanted this broom. It was gorgeous and she could just imagine flying on it. Exiting the store, she went to Gringotts and exchanged her money wizard money. She would buy the rest of her school supplies and then use the left over money, as well as some of her savings, to buy the Firebolt. Looking at her watch, Usagi realized that the robe store would probably have her robes done by now. She picked up her shopping bags and lugged them over to the store. Walking in, she asked the lady if her robes were done.
"Give me about ten more minutes, dear. I've been very busy."
Usagi walked out and looked around. There was a pet store next door that she could browse around in for a few minutes. According to her list, she knew that she would need a pet at Hogwarts and she walked in. Inside the store was quite a mess. There were owls squawking in one corner while rats and toads were in smaller cages across the store. Cats were in one large cage on the other wall of the store. Looking around, a small black owl caught her eye. It was about the size of her hand, much smaller than the other owls, but it was with the full-grown owls. It reminded her of Luna, only much sweeter looking. She walked over to it and stuck her finger in the cage to pet it. The owl hooted and looked at her. Smiling, Usagi walked over to the saleswoman and led her to the owl.
"I'd like this one please," she told her. The woman smiled and picked up the cage. "Right this way, then."
Usagi purchased the owl and some extra treats and food for it. By this time, she could barely carry all the things that she had bought. Deciding that she couldn't go on carrying all of this stuff, she placed everything down and picked up her potions kit and some other smaller items. Opening up her subspace pocket, she shoved it all in and added her text books. It was hard to fit her books into the opening, but once in, there was a plenty of room. Her pocket was designed to hold up to 300 pounds of stuff and still not weigh anything. Carrying her owl cage, Usagi walked into the robes store again and picked up her clothes. She paid for her robes and thanked the woman before walking out and towards the broomstick shop once again. She had everything on her list and was ready to purchase her Firebolt. Looking down at the money she had left from her parents, she was happy to see that she wouldn't have to use too much of her savings. She really hoped that her parents hadn't expected to receive any change from the money they had given her!
The salesman looked up and smiled at her. "Have you figured out which one you want?"
"I'd like the Firebolt," she replied. The man told her what an excellent choice she had made and quickly brought over a broom and wrapped it up for her. Usagi dumped out a ton of galleons and paid for the broom. Her purse felt a lot lighter as she took her broom and headed for the door.
Walking outside was like stepping into a different world. Cars once again filled the streets with electric streetlights and people in jeans and t- shirts walking down the streets. Usagi quickly hailed a taxi and headed home.
~*~*~
It was finally time to go to school. Usagi had waited, not so patiently, until the first day at her new school arrived and she was supposed to travel to the train station and board at platform 9 and three quarters. She wondered if the quartered off all of the trains in England. Maybe there was a platform 9 and one forth. Kissing her aunt goodbye, Usagi dragged her trunk into the street where she caught her ride to the train station. She had just barely managed to pile all of her stuff into her trunk, having to carry her owl, Luna's cage by hand. Luckily, her trunk had wheels and she was able to roll it down the sidewalk and into the train station with very little trouble.
At the train station, Usagi noticed that the trains were numbered normally, not in quarters. Crossing her fingers, she hoped that she had come to the correct train station and that her platform would be there. She passed by a large sign labeled "Platform 9" and kept walking. The next sign was labeled "Platform 10". Her heart sunk as she realized that there was no platform 9 and three quarters. Lugging her trunk back towards platform 9, Usagi noticed the redheaded boy that she had spoken to in the bookstore in Diagon Alley. He walking towards a large, solid brick wall between platforms 9 and 10. He must have lost it, she thought when she saw him begin running towards the wall. Gaping at him, she closed her eyes just as he was about to knock himself out.
Usagi opened her eyes and looked in Ron's direction, expecting to see him lying on the floor with his trunk and it's contents scattered on the floor. When she didn't see anything at all, she began to wonder if there was some type of magic that had taken him to the correct platform. Maybe you had to tap certain stones like you did to get into Diagon Alley. Usagi pulled her trunk over to the wall and touched the wall. Her finger went through the solid brick. Pushing her hand through, all the way, Usagi's legs and arms followed. She pulled her trunk through the wall following her and examined her surroundings. A sign, very similar to the signs in the regular train station stated "Platform 9 & 3/4". Grinning, Usagi climbed aboard the train and went in search of a compartment to sit. Most of the rooms were full of laughing wizards and witches, obviously good friends. She didn't feel right about interrupting them and continued onward, hoping to find an empty room.
Walking down the walkway, the redheaded boy spotted her and waved. "Hi, Usagi!" he greeted her.
"Hi!" she replied, happy that she had found someone that would be friendly to her.
"You can sit with me and my friends. Our compartment is right over here." He led the way down the corridor and into a room with several others.
"Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Neville. Meet Usagi Tsukino, the new transfer student from Japan. Usagi, meet my friends Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, and my little sister Ginny."
"Nice to meet you!" Usagi smiled at them all. They all responded kindly and Usagi sat down next to the girl named Hermione.
AN: Please leave a review and if you do, I promise to get the next chapter out much quicker than it took to get this chapter out! Thanks for reading (
Summary: Usagi has left Japan and the Sailor Senshi to a world of magic at Hogwarts. Can Harry and his friends show Usagi what true friendship is? Does Hogwarts spell the end of her troubled life?
Rating: PG
Setting: The beginning is in Japan, and then London, but most of the story will be at Hogwarts. Usagi is sixteen. Harry and his crew will be in their sixth year.
AN: I'm in awe at how many people have responded to the first two chapters of this story!! You guys are awesome! Thanks for the wonderful reviews. I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long. I've got several excuses, but you probably don't want to hear them all. In honor of my birthday and the release of the 5th HP book.which was wonderful and you all need to read it.I've written another, longer, chapter. I know it's incredibly late, but please read and review it anyways. I have decided to make this Harry's 6th year instead of the 7th and it will include things written in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, so make sure that you have read that book before you read my story. This chapter doesn't give anything away, but in the future, it will. Thanks for being patient! I just got some inspiration, so you should have another chapter pretty soon! I apologize for spelling/grammatical errors. I wanted to get this out quickly, so I didn't proofread it as I should have.
A Ripple In Time
By: BrittbeeLynn
Chapter 3: Preparation
Usagi walked quietly towards the corner so that she could hail a cab. She was beat from her excursion and wanted nothing more than to take a nice, long soak in the tub. Once she finally caught one's attention, she climbed in and asked him to take her to Eight Pivit Drive. She arrived quickly and paid the driver. Climbing the steps of the front porch, Usagi contemplated her day and all of the new information she had discovered about wizards. They seemed to be very secretive, not wanting any non-wizards to find out about them. She wondered why wizards didn't just live with humans and how many wizards were living. Thinking to herself, she figured that there couldn't be too many wizards in the world or more humans would know about them. However, she had seen many wizards in Diagon Alley and that was definitely not the only place that wizards resided. Usagi decided that she would work hard to find the answers to her questions soon, but now all she wanted was some dinner and a pillow.
~*~*~
Usagi had been living with her aunt for about a week and was bored out of her mind. She had wanted to live a normal life, but this was too normal for her. Her daily routine consisted of waking up, eating breakfast, working on her English with her aunt, watching TV or researching wizards while her aunt was at work, eating lunch alone, and cooking dinner for her aunt before going to bed. There was simply nothing to do in this small, boring place. She had hoped that she would see other kids her age outside, but it seemed that there was no one under the age of thirty that lived in this neighborhood. Usagi had taken walks in hopes of finding someone to talk to, but the few people that she had seen were often rude or pointedly ignored her.
Usagi had hoped that by now she would have heard something from Hogwarts, but nothing had happened. She was wondering how reliable owls were and if her letter had really ever reached the man named Dumbledore. She worried that maybe she didn't have enough or the right kind of magic to be accepted into the school. Or, the thought to herself, I could just be too old to be admitted into the school.
Thinking along these lines, Usagi barely heard a light tapping on her bedroom window. She was supposed to be filling out her Intermediate Guide to English workbook, but her mind had wondered off. Glancing up, she noticed a small black owl outside her window, looking at her with its large brown eyes. It seemed to be trying to communicate with her and if she understood correctly, it was saying, "Stop gawking and open this window, stupid girl!"
Jumping up from her desk, Usagi's chair fell backwards and hit the floor. She bent down quickly, picking the chair up and turning it upright before walking to the window and struggling with the lock to get the window open. Her aunt's house was very old and she figured that this window hadn't been opened in at least ten years. At last, she managed to open the lock and began pushing the window upwards. It squeaked as it rose slowly and with a great deal of effort, Usagi finally managed to open the window enough for the owl to duck into the house.
The small owl hooted and stood very still on Usagi's desk. Looking at the bird, she noticed a small letter attached to its leg. She quickly untied the letter and looked at the address. It stated "Miss Usagi Tsukino, 8 Pivit Drive, Upstairs Bedroom with Pink Curtains". Grinning, Usagi turned the letter over, admiring the deep red seal with a capital h. She broke the seal and opened the letter. Scanning it quickly, her grin grew into a full-fledged smile. She was in. The letter told her that she had been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Included was a list of the many supplies that she would need. This letter was clearly a form letter that was probably sent to every new student at Hogwarts, however a third sheet of paper was included which contained the information she was really looking for. It stated that Hogwarts was a magical school comprised of seven different years of students. Most students began in year one at the age of eleven and worked their way up. Since was sixteen, she would definitely not fit in with a bunch of eleven-year-olds. The letter told her that she would be placed in her 6th year along with everyone else her age at first. If she was a fast learner and was able to pull off decent grades, she would stay in her age group. If she had trouble with the classes, she would be put into an age group of her own skill level. The letter explained that the school did not usually allow children over the age of eleven to begin attending, however, since she had such unusual circumstances, they would permit her attendance.
Usagi placed the letter on her desk and sat down. How did they know about my "circumstances"? she thought. Looking at the little clock on her bedroom wall, she realized that if she hurried, she could probably make another trip to Diagon Alley and buy some of her supplies.
She grabbed her wand, Hogwarts letter, and her purse that contained the rest of the wizard money that she had traded in and some more muggle money, just in case she ran out while purchasing her school supplies. Quickly, she hurried down the stairs and found her aunt. She was taking a nap in her downstairs bedroom. "I'm going to go school supplies shopping, Aunt Margaret," she explained quietly.
"Do you need any extra money? Your parents have sent plenty," her aunt offered.
"Actually, I could use a little extra. I have to buy a lot of stuff. I applied to this special school and was just informed that I was accepted. They have quite a list of supplies." Getting up from her bed, Aunt Margaret limped over to her dresser and pulled out her purse. She found an envelope inside and pulled out a great wad of money. Handing it to Usagi, she said, "This money is for your school supplies then. You'll need to tell me how much tuition is and if you need any extra money so I can write to your parents to send it."
"Thank you!" Usagi replied. She wouldn't have to dip into her savings to buy her supplies now. She had gotten a job her sophomore and junior years in high school and had saved up quite a bit of money working part time in the winters and full time during the summers. Taking the money, she walked out of the house and began her journey to Diagon Alley. It was almost 12 o'clock and Usagi's stomach was telling her that it was time for lunch. She had walked to Diagon Alley this time, instead of taking a cab and had just sworn to herself that she would never do it again. It was a long walk, and half of the time she was walking uphill. Just before she reached the place where she would enter Diagon Alley, she stopped by a little cafe and ordered some lunch. After eating, she paid for her meal and walked into the small shop that she knew led to her destination. Walking past several wizards, she went to the back of the shop and found the wall. She hoped that she would be able to remember which stones to tap with her wand.
After trying a few combinations, Usagi was growing frustrated. It seemed that she didn't remember which ones she had to tap to open the wall. She was about to give up out of frustration when a wizard walked up to the wall beside her.
"Are ya 'aving some trouble miss?" he asked in a heavy accent. Usagi nodded and the gigantic wizard proceeded to tap the correct stones that caused the doorway to open up.
"Thank you, sir!" she said enthusiastically.
"The name's 'agrid," he replied, extending his hand to her. She shook his huge hand and thanked him again before walking into Diagon Alley.
Today, the Alley was packed. There were tons of wizard families of all ages, walking down the streets and entering the different shops. There were families that were obviously muggles walking down the streets with children that she guessed had turned out to be witches or wizards. Smiling, she headed over to a shop that obviously sold robes. Glancing at her list, she realized that she needed several black robes. She walked up to the counter where a kindly looking older woman stood.
"What can I help you with, young lady?" she asked.
"I'll be attending Hogwarts this year and need some robes to wear," she replied.
Smiling, the woman snapped to work. She withdrew her wand and pointed at her measuring tape. The measuring tape flew over to Usagi and began taking her measurements. The woman picked up a small notepad and wrote down the measurements that were taken. Once she had gathered all of the necessary figures, the woman told Usagi that it would take about an hour for her to gather the robes and alter them to fit her. Usagi thanked the woman and walked out of the shop to continue looking for her school supplies. On her way out, she bumped into a guy that looked to be about her age.
"Excuse me," she said politely. The brown-headed boy nodded and smiled at her as he continued into the store. As he nodded, she had noticed a lightening shaped line on his forehead. Strange, she thought to herself and continued on.
Next, Usagi found a store that was definitely a bookstore. Since she needed quite a few books, she walked into the store and found it very crowded. A store clerk approached her and asked her what she needed.
"I will be attending Hogwarts this fall and need these books," she told him, handing him the list of books that she needed. The man quickly led her around to the various books that she needed. Every time he found one, he placed it into her arms. Quite soon, she had quite a stack of books. The man handed her the last book on her list and then gave her the list. She didn't have any hands left to take the list and she told him to place it into her purse. He quickly stuffed it into her purse and went off to help some other witch or wizard. Walking carefully, Usagi made her way over to the cash register. This was no time for a klutz attack, but sure enough, a book happened to be right in her path. Her foot hit the book and she stumbled, trying to balance the many thick books that she was carrying, she barely managed to remain standing. Her books, however, were not quite as lucky as they ended up in a heap on the ground. Bending over to pick them up, a redheaded wizard next to her bent down to help her.
"Sorry," he said, "That was my book you tripped over."
"That's ok," she replied smiling. She stood up and the boy helped carry half her books to the front desk. "Thanks!" she told him.
"No problem! Are you going to be at Hogwarts this year," he asked looking over her books.
"Yes, I'm going to be in 6th year! I'm really excited about it."
"I'm in 6th year too. I've never seen you there," he replied confused. He didn't think that you could transfer to Hogwarts like that.
"Well, I asked to be admitted and they told me I could."
"My name's Ron Weasly," he replied smiling.
"Usagi Tsukino. I'm from Japan."
"Wow! That's really cool!"
"Well, I'll be seeing you at school, then, Ron. Thanks for your help!" she told him, carrying her huge bag of books with her towards the door. She waved goodbye again and walked out. Placing her books down beside her, Usagi pulled out her list again. Next she would purchase her potions supplies. She walked into a small shop and quickly made her purchase. The shop was full of caldrons and potions that bubbled and emitted sparks. The place gave her the creeps because there was very little lighting and every once and a while a potion would pop very loudly, causing her to jump.
Quickly exiting the shop, Usagi walked over to a broomstick shop. Wow, she thought. She would love to be able to fly one of these things. She walked over to a broom in the corner and ran her hand down the shiny wooden handle. A salesman walked up to her.
"That's a Starbolt 100. It's good for younger witches and wizards. Come right over her and I'll show you some of the more advanced broomsticks. What position do you play in Quidditch?" he asked amiably.
"Ummm...what's Quidditch?" she asked tentatively.
"Oh, you're new here. Going to Hogwarts this year? You look a little older than eleven! Here we are," he said motioning to a display of very impressive brooms.
"I'm sixteen, but I'm going to Hogwarts for my first year," she replied to his ramblings. "Which broom do you recommend?"
"Well, my favorite, as well as anyone's favorite is the Firebolt. It's very expensive, though. You'll probably want to buy something a little less costly."
"Which one is the Firebolt?" she asked curious.
He led her over to the front display where she saw the most amazing and by far the coolest broom in the store. Looking at the price, her eyes widened. That was quite a lot. "Um, I'll just have a look around by myself," she told the clerk who was hovering next to her.
Usagi wanted this broom. It was gorgeous and she could just imagine flying on it. Exiting the store, she went to Gringotts and exchanged her money wizard money. She would buy the rest of her school supplies and then use the left over money, as well as some of her savings, to buy the Firebolt. Looking at her watch, Usagi realized that the robe store would probably have her robes done by now. She picked up her shopping bags and lugged them over to the store. Walking in, she asked the lady if her robes were done.
"Give me about ten more minutes, dear. I've been very busy."
Usagi walked out and looked around. There was a pet store next door that she could browse around in for a few minutes. According to her list, she knew that she would need a pet at Hogwarts and she walked in. Inside the store was quite a mess. There were owls squawking in one corner while rats and toads were in smaller cages across the store. Cats were in one large cage on the other wall of the store. Looking around, a small black owl caught her eye. It was about the size of her hand, much smaller than the other owls, but it was with the full-grown owls. It reminded her of Luna, only much sweeter looking. She walked over to it and stuck her finger in the cage to pet it. The owl hooted and looked at her. Smiling, Usagi walked over to the saleswoman and led her to the owl.
"I'd like this one please," she told her. The woman smiled and picked up the cage. "Right this way, then."
Usagi purchased the owl and some extra treats and food for it. By this time, she could barely carry all the things that she had bought. Deciding that she couldn't go on carrying all of this stuff, she placed everything down and picked up her potions kit and some other smaller items. Opening up her subspace pocket, she shoved it all in and added her text books. It was hard to fit her books into the opening, but once in, there was a plenty of room. Her pocket was designed to hold up to 300 pounds of stuff and still not weigh anything. Carrying her owl cage, Usagi walked into the robes store again and picked up her clothes. She paid for her robes and thanked the woman before walking out and towards the broomstick shop once again. She had everything on her list and was ready to purchase her Firebolt. Looking down at the money she had left from her parents, she was happy to see that she wouldn't have to use too much of her savings. She really hoped that her parents hadn't expected to receive any change from the money they had given her!
The salesman looked up and smiled at her. "Have you figured out which one you want?"
"I'd like the Firebolt," she replied. The man told her what an excellent choice she had made and quickly brought over a broom and wrapped it up for her. Usagi dumped out a ton of galleons and paid for the broom. Her purse felt a lot lighter as she took her broom and headed for the door.
Walking outside was like stepping into a different world. Cars once again filled the streets with electric streetlights and people in jeans and t- shirts walking down the streets. Usagi quickly hailed a taxi and headed home.
~*~*~
It was finally time to go to school. Usagi had waited, not so patiently, until the first day at her new school arrived and she was supposed to travel to the train station and board at platform 9 and three quarters. She wondered if the quartered off all of the trains in England. Maybe there was a platform 9 and one forth. Kissing her aunt goodbye, Usagi dragged her trunk into the street where she caught her ride to the train station. She had just barely managed to pile all of her stuff into her trunk, having to carry her owl, Luna's cage by hand. Luckily, her trunk had wheels and she was able to roll it down the sidewalk and into the train station with very little trouble.
At the train station, Usagi noticed that the trains were numbered normally, not in quarters. Crossing her fingers, she hoped that she had come to the correct train station and that her platform would be there. She passed by a large sign labeled "Platform 9" and kept walking. The next sign was labeled "Platform 10". Her heart sunk as she realized that there was no platform 9 and three quarters. Lugging her trunk back towards platform 9, Usagi noticed the redheaded boy that she had spoken to in the bookstore in Diagon Alley. He walking towards a large, solid brick wall between platforms 9 and 10. He must have lost it, she thought when she saw him begin running towards the wall. Gaping at him, she closed her eyes just as he was about to knock himself out.
Usagi opened her eyes and looked in Ron's direction, expecting to see him lying on the floor with his trunk and it's contents scattered on the floor. When she didn't see anything at all, she began to wonder if there was some type of magic that had taken him to the correct platform. Maybe you had to tap certain stones like you did to get into Diagon Alley. Usagi pulled her trunk over to the wall and touched the wall. Her finger went through the solid brick. Pushing her hand through, all the way, Usagi's legs and arms followed. She pulled her trunk through the wall following her and examined her surroundings. A sign, very similar to the signs in the regular train station stated "Platform 9 & 3/4". Grinning, Usagi climbed aboard the train and went in search of a compartment to sit. Most of the rooms were full of laughing wizards and witches, obviously good friends. She didn't feel right about interrupting them and continued onward, hoping to find an empty room.
Walking down the walkway, the redheaded boy spotted her and waved. "Hi, Usagi!" he greeted her.
"Hi!" she replied, happy that she had found someone that would be friendly to her.
"You can sit with me and my friends. Our compartment is right over here." He led the way down the corridor and into a room with several others.
"Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Neville. Meet Usagi Tsukino, the new transfer student from Japan. Usagi, meet my friends Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, and my little sister Ginny."
"Nice to meet you!" Usagi smiled at them all. They all responded kindly and Usagi sat down next to the girl named Hermione.
AN: Please leave a review and if you do, I promise to get the next chapter out much quicker than it took to get this chapter out! Thanks for reading (
